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by Dave Jansik
There it was. High up, hanging on the wall of an overpriced vintage clothing store on Haight Street. I stood there agape for about ten minutes. The scene must have looked odd to all the young hipsters milling about looking for something ironic to wear. Alongside it were ragged and faded specimens salvaged from the basements and the attics of former Scorpions, ZZ Top, Van Halen, and Michael Jackson fans. But the one I locked eyes with was different. Colors bright on soft yet pristine thinning fabric. It had been loved and cared for. The unmistakable intent gaze from that translucent blue face staring down at me seemed to be saying "remember me? Weren't you a member of The Force? You really need to take me home." I left rubbing the crick in my neck, balking and sheeshing at the $38 price tag.
Seemed like months went by. The shirt kept popping in and out of my head like the beat of Steve "Machine Gun" Smith's drum solo on Captured. I broke out some of their old albums that formed the basement of my teetering skyscraper-like stack of CDs. I remembered how great 'Escape' sounded when, for the first time, I heard it blaring out of my very cool big brother's Trans Am parked in the driveway. That afternoon I became a music fan and for that I the band deserved to be back in my life.
That weekend I went back to the store and by gum it was still hanging there. I am now the proud owner of my second vintage Journey concert jersey from the 1983 Frontiers tour.
Second, you ask? I do have the very first and only shirt I purchased myself at a show, but since it was fashionable in hot and muggy Ohio summers as a junior high student to cut slits from the armpit to just above the bottom hem, its an unwearable rag now. Part of my reason for buying the new shirt was to show it off around town. To remind people and talk about the band again. To be recognized as "that dude who likes Journey." Oh yeah, and to feel like a giddy mullet-headed rock and roll kid again.
Time wore on. Nostalgia was establishing its firm grip on my fleeting youth and with it came the empty feeling of only having a shirt from the Frontiers tour. For me the real love of the band was incubated and hatched with the release of 'Escape.' It was my first concert ever and it still evokes vivid images such as the slanted and orangeish glow of the sunlight streaming into the arena concourse as I walked up bug-eyed to the swag table. All I could afford was the huge poster of the band playing live - Steve all akimbo in the middle of doing that twist he did towards the drum kit at the end of a long note. Toto's 'Rosanna' was playing on the sound system right before the lights went down. Going absolutely nuts every time he waved to us poor saps with nosebleeds behind the stage. Its like I was there last night whenever I think about it.
Apart from the greatness of the music and the memories, the ESC4P3 artwork and fonts are so sleek, modern, and for lack of a better term one might use in an art appreciation class, really cool. Stanley Mouse took the very pretty and painterly, yet somewhat dated, winged beetle and transformed it into a shiny, futuristic spaceship blaring Journey's new sound and hurtling all of us stowed away in its cargo hold into the 80s era of stadium rock. If needles didn't make me so woozy, I would get a tattoo of the parked ship on my back.
There are good reasons that collecting old concert shirts now makes more sense than then. People grow: I was a scrawny punk back then so even if I had kept the shirts all sparkly I would never be able to fit into them now. Young teens make minimum wage or less: We had no money to pay for those top-dollar show souvenirs. Bedroom decor defined you: I was more into decking out my room with as many, more affordable, posters as I could (all of which I still own and are quite worthless because of all the pinholes and their large size.)
There are also great reasons to collect Journey shirts. EBay is a wonderful magical place that has the unique ability to broaden your knowledge and to make you forget about your monthly budget. I never knew how many different kinds and designs of shirts were made for the Escape tour alone. What impresses me the most, as compared to other bands, is that they designed many unique shirts for specific shows and cities; I'm not talking about simply changing the name of the town and the date of the gig on the back. For instance, there's the October 9, 1981 Syracuse show shirt with the bug swooping in out of nowhere to blast the roof off the Carrier Dome. Or the December 21 & 22, 1981 Hawaii shows where the earth in the Captured logo is replaced by the Islands. And my holy grail, the jersey from the Ventura County Fairgrounds gig with the stage backdrop - the winged beetle hovering over an erupting volcano - on the front of the heather gray shirt with blue sleeves.
The first shirt I tried bidding on was from a show at Blossom Music Center that I desperately wanted to go to when I was a kid. I got some tips from a friend that was an online auction vet but I was so new to the pressure of the final minute of frenetic bidding that I lost it. It was really upsetting. At that moment I became the junkie I am today by promising myself to be diligent and by vowing to spend just about anything for the right shirt. This new attitude paid off when a week later the same shirt was back up for auction because it was too big for the new owner. Yes, I won it and yes I cherish it. Since then I have rounded out the collection to twenty-six concert shirts.
It has been a couple years since I began collecting and I have learned a few things. Here are a few tips for those interested in getting into the game:
Make sure its actually vintage. Since these shirts are gaining in popularity, the bands and licensed dealers are selling new versions of old designs. Plus, illegal reproductions of old designs are being made and sold. Most authentic shirts are 50/50 cotton and polyester blend. Tags are the dead giveaway - older ones have sizing numbers such as 42-44 for large and are tattered or permanently creased. Also, the shirts fit smaller than comparable sizes made today.
Then there are the vintage, bootleg shirts. Sure they are old, but they are still fakes sold by entrepreneurial hucksters in the parking lot. Most have poor quality screen printing that strays from the authentic designs. Also they usually have become oddly shaped because of cheap manufacture.
Personally, I like a shirt that has some wear like thinning fabric, pilling, and partially erased printing. If you want pristine goods this may not be the collectible for you. Though, I have been able to find some shirts at vintage stores and on eBay that roadies or local crew workers amassed and safely stored over the years that they have decided to sell off. Big score if you're lucky.
In general, the market is pretty hot for old concert shirts on eBay. Lately, college students have been finding them cool enough to wear around campus. Journey shirts have always gotten a lot of attention. Getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has brought the band some much-deserved recognition lately. I have seen a 1983 Miami, Florida Frontiers shirt, the blue-faced cover art sporting sunglasses, go for $150. The average highest bid I see is around $70. If you can get something for $20 feel lucky, but expect to pay around $30 to $50 on average. Mediums and smalls seem to generate more and higher bids than the larger sizes despite the fact that larger sizes are a bit harder to come by. Also, beware the "buy it now" option - if it's $20 or less it's either a reproduction or it's real but totally beat up. Ask the seller questions if you have any concerns.
Vintage clothing stores can be great resources for patient shoppers. Calling ahead and asking could save you some time. Chic stores are fully aware of the high prices these shirts generate in online auctions - don't expect to find anything for under $30 at one of these places. You may find a bargain at a junkier store, though. I have never seen anything at a Goodwill-type store, but you never know.
Concert shirt collecting is great fun. Just be prepared to spend a little cash and a good amount of time. These relics of a bygone rock era should be preserved and enjoyed in the good hands of devoted music fans. I would love to open this to further discussion and talk trades with other collectors. I can be reached at djansik@gmail.com.
Copyright © 1994-2006 Dan Stacy, Journey Digest, JourneyDigest.com
No portion of this article may be reprinted without express written permission from the author and JourneyDigest.com